Sound controlled devices are devices that are controlled through a sound utilizing air as a sound communication medium. Some sound controlled devices respond to a distinct sound within their sound receiving environment (e.g., a human clap, a siren, a noise detected above a threshold level). Sound controlled devices respond to a simple voice command (e.g., “turn on”, “turn off”). Some industrial control systems may include voice controlled components (e.g., a single-purpose emergency shutdown procedure for an industrial controller). Other sound controlled devices respond to voice commands and may be referred to as a voice controlled device. Another class of voice controlled device may use a complex speech interaction and/or a conversational interaction with a voice controlled assistant that is a computer program. This may allow for a natural interface for interaction between a user and more complex technology. The voice controlled assistant may respond to a question by a user with a piece of information and/or respond to a command of the user by taking an action. This voice controlled assistant may have an “artificial intelligence” personality. For example, the voice controlled assistant provided as an assistance service through the voice controlled assistance device may be Apple Siri, Microsoft Cortana, Google Assistant, Samsung Bixby, and/or Amazon Alexa.
For the voice controlled assistance service, a user may also be able to invoke specific assistance applications with an invocation command and initiate specific assistant actions with an initiation command. Each assistance action may require one or more additional voice instructions to voice inputs. The invocation command, the initiation command, and each voice instruction may be provided according to a voice command protocol of the assistance application.
However, some sound controlled devices may represent numerous use challenges for some users. A manufacturer of the sound controlled device and/or provider of a voice controlled assistance service may define a sound control protocol that does not suite a particular use case or use environment, e.g., receiving a sound command at a specific sound frequency in a location with a lot of noise at the sound frequency. In terms of a conversational instruction, the initiation command and the instructions may conform to a complex instance of the sound command protocol and/or the voice command protocol that is hard for the user to remember. The sound command protocol may be slow, requiring numerous instructions that reduce an advantage of utilizing a voice control, or be prone to failure or starting over restart if one instruction or command fails. In addition, multiple sound controlled devices within a shared sound communication environment (e.g., a single room) may conflict, especially where they may overlap in commands of their sound command protocols. While it may be advantageous to have access to multiple voice controlled assistance services due to differences in supported assistance applications, services, and/or capabilities, two or more voice controlled assistants sharing an environment may create confusion, for example the automated speech response of one voice controlled assistant misinterpreted as user speech by another.
Some sound controlled devices may also represent security and privacy concerns for some users. For example, the sound controlled device may connect to a remote server of a network to analyze a sound received within its sound receiving environment. A voice controlled assistance device may be actively “listening” to its sound receiving environment and relaying all sound received to a remote location for analysis. For example, the voice controlled assistant may analyze speech of the user with a speech recognition engine on a remote cloud commuting environment operated by a provider of the voice controlled assistance service. The user may be unsure of the data is recorded, stored, retained, subject to inspection, and/or utilized for advertising purposes. Further, a voice command protocol may be activated in ways unintended and outside of the control of the user, for example where a radio or television broadcast inadvertently (or intentionally) tries to trigger the voice controlled device. Similarly, a child of the user may learn to naturally speak to and utilize the voice controlled assistance device and may order unapproved products on the user's account and/or access inappropriate content.
As a result of one or more of these issues the user may be faced with a sound control protocol that may make use of the sound controlled device difficult, annoying and/or challenging, which may reduce sales or usage of a particular sound control product and/or service. Multiple sound controlled devices may not be able to adequately coincide within a shared sound communication environment, limiting the types of control, information, services, and/or assistance applications easily available to the user, also limiting sales and usage. Security and privacy conscious users may not purchase or continue use of sound controlled device products and/or services where they may have little or no control over how sound within their environment is transmitted and utilized.